Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1841

Crack.

Kang Jin-ho slowly clenched and unclenched his fist.

‘This is tiring.’

Fighting a series of battles against the directors wasn’t easy. There’s no match for numbers, and Kang Jin-ho’s stamina wasn’t infinite.

But what was making it harder for him now was that this wasn’t a problem that would end simply by beating them down.

He had to lead them while also defeating them. This was something Kang Jin-ho had never done before.

He had pointed out their mistakes and filled in their gaps countless times, but helping someone break through their wall was a new challenge for him.

‘Nothing in this world is easy.’

Just as Kang Jin-ho let out a deep sigh, Lee Hyun-soo opened the door and came in. Kang Jin-ho’s eyes lit up when he saw the cold iced Americano in his hand.

“I thought you might be looking for this about now.”

“…You’re like a ghost.”

“Isn’t that the basic of a great aide?”

Lee Hyun-soo grinned and placed the cup in front of Kang Jin-ho. Then, he placed another cup in front of Kang Jin-ho without putting it in front of himself.

“What’s this?”

“One cup to drink in one shot, and the other to drink slowly?”

Thinking that this guy might have become a notorious villain if he had been born in the past, Kang Jin-ho picked up the cup.

Kang Jin-ho downed one cup in one shot and slammed the cup down a bit roughly.

“…I feel alive.”

“Heh heh, even masters can’t beat caffeine.”

‘That’s not it, you rascal.’

Lee Hyun-soo slid the remaining Americano over and opened his mouth.

“How is it going?”

“You can see for yourself.”

“…I’m sorry, but my eyes are no different from decorations in this area. At least decorations look cool.”

He was just stating the facts, but why did it sound so sad?

“It’s not easy.”

Kang Jin-ho opened his mouth listlessly.

This was a dilemma.

A wall is something you have to overcome yourself. No matter how great a teacher is, all they can do is lead their student to the wall.

That alone is enough to be considered a great teacher.

It’s up to the individual to overcome the wall in front of them.

But now wasn’t the time for such easygoing talk. If they couldn’t overcome the wall, their chances would drop to a level where they wouldn’t exist in the first place.

“What are the chances?”

“…Isn’t it the fun part of this path that you can’t know that?”

“What’s so fun about that? It just means you don’t know anything.”

“…That’s right.”

Lee Hyun-soo looked at him with a very distrustful gaze, but Kang Jin-ho didn’t have anything to say. This was something that no one, not even Kang Jin-ho, could do.

Even Cheongma [a powerful martial arts organization] gathered those who had already overcome the wall because this was impossible.

“This isn’t a matter of probability.”

“Then what is it?”

“It’s a matter of faith.”

Lee Hyun-soo looked at him with a dumbfounded expression, but all Kang Jin-ho could do was avoid his gaze.

“Man, you really don’t have a plan.”

Lee Hyun-soo shook his head.

He knew that it wasn’t a problem that would be solved by rushing, and he also knew that a solution wouldn’t appear just by blaming Kang Jin-ho. But as someone who could only watch and do nothing, he couldn’t help but feel anxious and frustrated.

“Then, let me change the question.”

“Hmm?”

“Can it be done?”

Kang Jin-ho closed his mouth as if he was pondering slightly. After staring at the ceiling for a moment, Kang Jin-ho sipped his Americano a couple of times and nodded silently.

“It will be done.”

“…Is that also a matter of faith?”

“That’s right. But…”

Kang Jin-ho nodded once again.

“It will be done.”

It was the same words, but the meaning was clearly different.

If the first statement was close to blind faith, the second statement contained Kang Jin-ho’s own conviction. Kang Jin-ho couldn’t explain exactly what that conviction was, though.

“Overcoming a wall is…”

“…Yes?”

“…a privilege that only those who don’t give up can have.”

It wasn’t just Kang Jin-ho.

For the past few years, the directors of the General Assembly had also faced a series of constant challenges and crises. They had endured and overcome things that ordinary people would have given up on several times.

It didn’t seem like those people wouldn’t be able to overcome this small wall.

Perhaps this was just Kang Jin-ho’s wishful thinking…

“If you have to choose between ‘believe’ and ‘don’t believe,’ there’s only one thing to choose.”

“That’s simple and good.”

This time, Lee Hyun-soo didn’t object and nodded silently.

“Then, let’s say the directors are like that, but what about the others?”

“They’re far off.”

Kang Jin-ho opened his mouth listlessly.

“They’re still a long way off.”

“Of course, compared to the directors. But their goals are different in the first place, aren’t they?”

“That’s true, but…”

Kang Jin-ho rested his chin on his hand.

This was more difficult than growing the directors in a different sense. A wall is in the realm of enlightenment, so it can be broken through without any problem at any moment, but it takes time to improve their skills.

Even though he was splitting a day into tens and hundreds, it was still not enough.

Feeling a little impatient, Kang Jin-ho shook his head.

“This is all I can do. They have to do the rest.”

Turning his head to look at Lee Hyun-soo, Kang Jin-ho asked in a low voice.

“How’s the other side going?”

“We’re testing the recommended people and those who seem to have some potential by pitting them against the demonic beasts… but the results aren’t good.”

“The level difference is too big. It’s almost deformed.”

‘I figured.’

Kang Jin-ho smiled bitterly.

The General Assembly had developed by training specific individuals hard to become stronger quickly. Bang Jin-hoon, who had realized the danger of this, tried to narrow the gap by creating the General Assembly’s unique martial arts and even giving video lectures to his disciples, but the difference didn’t easily shrink.

Of course, there were definitely talented people they hadn’t found, but even if they found someone with great talent, training them to the point where they could be used in a short period of time was a separate issue.

“We’re narrowing down the candidates to about three or four…”

“We still have to struggle.”

“Yes. That’s exactly how I feel.”

Kang Jin-ho nodded and got up from his seat.

“Where are you going?”

“To train.”

“…You’re going to do that again?”

“That’s not my training.”

Lee Hyun-soo’s face hardened as he watched Kang Jin-ho answer as if it was nothing.

Normally, he would have praised him for being amazing, but now, well…

He didn’t know if he was training to move forward, or if he thought that the only solution to all of this was for Kang Jin-ho to become stronger.

“You said that physical training doesn’t mean much. Why don’t you meditate?”

“That’s the theory, but…”

Kang Jin-ho smacked his lips.

“I’ve had this habit for so long that I can’t calm down if I don’t use my body. I know I need to fix it.”

“…I understand.”

How could that be easily fixed?

Lee Hyun-soo sighed and looked at Kang Jin-ho’s back as he went outside.

Thinking about how much weight was on those shoulders, his heart also became heavy.

‘Well, I’ll do my part…’

All he had to do was lighten Kang Jin-ho’s burden.

Lee Hyun-soo turned on his phone, checked the document he had written again, and smiled.

“I don’t know if it will work, though.”

Life is a gamble anyway. He should just go for it.

Grind.

Bator clenched his fist tightly.

The bloodshot eyes of his, like those of a madman, moved erratically without knowing where to go.

“Hoo! Hoo!”

Bator, who was breathing roughly, grabbed his chest.

His heart was beating like crazy, and his whole body was trembling as if he was having a seizure.

“Why…”

It felt like the whole world was tightening around him.

Every time his mind drifted away and came back, he realized that he was going mad.

Recently, he had even started seeing things.

Demons. Countless demons.

Those he had killed and those who had rushed to kill him.

And even Baek Yeon-hong and the arrogant Hong Wang.

Those he had to overcome and those he had overcome.

All of them became an unbearable weight, crushing his soul and trampling on his body.

‘Demonic obstacles…’

It was said that Buddha had defeated all the demons that endlessly surged under the Bodhi tree and attained enlightenment. [Bodhi tree is the tree under which Buddha is said to have attained enlightenment].

He couldn’t dare to compare himself to that great enlightenment, but demonic obstacles had come to him without fail. The most frightening thing about these demonic obstacles wasn’t the pain.

The deeper the demonic obstacles became, the more he was losing himself.

His confidence crumbled, and his experiences lost their meaning. The feet he stepped on couldn’t find the ground and just floundered in the air.

This sense of powerlessness and self-loathing continued endlessly.

“Ugh…”

Tears of blood flowed from Bator’s eyes.

“Whyyyyyyyyyyy!”

Kwaaaaaaaang!

His fist slammed into the floor.

In the past, his fist would have broken mountains and split the earth, but now it was only enough to crush the concrete on the floor.

But the punching didn’t end with just one.

“Whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!”

Kwaang! Kwaang! Kwaaaaaaaang!

“Why can’t I do it! Why! Whyyyyyyyyyyyy!”

Madness poured out of his hollow eyes.

Bator, who had been slamming his fist into the floor until it was broken, lost his strength and collapsed.

“Hoo… Hoo… Hoo…”

His torn and bleeding hand came into his view.

His body was injured just from slamming the floor a few times.

“Heh heh…”

A hollow laugh escaped his lips.

The moment he understood that everything that had supported him was just an illusion, the world he knew changed and crushed him.

‘Did I endure this?’

His body, which had withered like a deflated balloon, shrank a little more.

“I…”

Grind.

The teeth he had clenched broke off.

He might not be able to overcome it. When he started, he didn’t have even a shred of doubt, but now Bator was aware of his reality.

Perhaps he would lose everything.

His perfect body, the martial prowess that had looked down on the world, and the confidence that had supported him like a steel tower. All of it.

If he gave up here, he might be able to salvage what was left.

But…

Could he give up?

‘Don’t be ridiculous!’

Bator’s eyes turned bloodshot.

Even if he lost everything and became a loser, he didn’t want to become a coward who turned back in fear.

“I… I’m not afraid!”

Bator, who had grabbed the floor, took a deep breath.

“Let’s see who wins! You or me! Let’s go all the way!”

With a madman’s face, Bator sat cross-legged and slowly sank into himself.